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Programme Hints - Brownies are wide awake - Be a Smart Detective

Activity: Be a Smart Detective

Group

Brownie Section

Time needed

90 minutes

Learning Goal

Members learn to use their money wisely and have more understanding on prices of consumer goods in the market. See if they can buy as much food as they can with limited money. Members also learn to cook simple dishes.

Instructions

Led by leaders, members go shopping in the wet markets or supermarkets. They have a budget of $30 to buy different kinds of food and complete the work sheet. Members have 60 minutes to complete this task.

Members then use 30 minutes to make some dishes and snacks.

Sample of worksheet

P.1

Date:

Venue:

Name:

Team name:

Comments:

P.2

1. Record the name of shops when walking around the market.

2. Can you please divide the shops in two groups? (E.g. wet goods/ dried goods)

P.3

Find their prices:

Name

Amount

$

Beef

Pork

lettuce

carrot

Chicken wing

Potatoes

shrimp

Golden threadfin bream

Egg

A dozen

P.4

Choose a dish you like. List out the ingredients and find out the price.

Name of Dish:

Ingredients:

Amount needed:

Price:

Total of price: $

Which elements of the method are used, and how?

☑ Learning in small groups – Members cooperate in group. They try to find out the necessary ingredients at the lowest price. They coordinate the division of labour: washing, cutting, cooking etc., to make sure everyone has contributed in the activity.

☑ My path, my pace – Members learn a new skill at home – cooking. They learn to take care of others.

☑ Learning by doing – Members need to go to the market and compare the prices among different shops, or even bargain for the prices. They learn to be active and communicate with different people.

☑Connecting with others – Mature members can help handle the complex and dangerous cooking task, while younger members can help go shopping and compare prices. They contribute in different ways.

☑Connecting with my world – This is a kind of informal education outside school. Members can go to market/ supermarket in their community and know more information(for example, where can they buy food at the lowest price, where can they buy specific food etc)

How does the method give youth members a chance to take the lead?

Mature members will lead the teams during shopping and cooking. They also help coordinate the jobs and let the right people do the right job according to age, abilities and characters.

How can you connect this activity to the values of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting?

Members discuss their roles and feelings in the activity. Trough tem work, members learn to respect and give assistance to others, even contribute for their tasks.